Monday, September 26, 2016

FBI Releases 2015 Crime Statistics

The FBI released the below information:

After two years of decline, the estimated number of violent
crimes in the nation increased 3.9 percent in 2015 when compared with 2014
data, according to FBI figures released today. Property crimes dropped 2.6
percent, marking the 13th straight year the collective estimates for these
offenses declined.

The 2015 statistics show the estimated rate of violent crime
was 372.6 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, and the property crime rate was
2,487.0 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. The violent crime rate rose 3.1
percent compared with the 2014 rate, and the property crime rate declined 3.4
percent.

These and additional data are presented in the 2015 edition
of the FBI’s annual report Crime in the United States. This publication, which
is a statistical compilation of offense, arrest, and police employee data reported
by law enforcement agencies voluntarily participating in the FBI’s Uniform
Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, also includes limited federal crime reporting,
human trafficking, and cargo theft data.

The UCR Program collects information on crimes reported by
law enforcement agencies regarding the violent crimes of murder and
non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, as well as
the property crimes of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.
(Although the FBI classifies arson as a property crime, it does not estimate
arson data because of variations in the level of participation by the reporting
agencies. Consequently, arson data are not included in the property crime
estimate.) The program also collects arrest data for the offenses listed above
plus 20 offenses that include all other crimes except traffic violations.

Prior to 2013, the FBI’s UCR Program collected rape data in
the Summary Reporting System under the category “forcible rape.” In 2013, the
program removed the term “forcible” from the title and revised the definition.
The legacy UCR definition of rape is “The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly
and against her will.” The revised UCR definition of rape is “Penetration, no
matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral
penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the
victim.”

Of the 18,439 city, county, university and college, state,
tribal, and federal agencies eligible to participate in the UCR Program, 16,643
submitted data in 2015. A high-level summary of the statistics submitted, as
well as estimates for those agencies that did not report, follows:

In 2015, there were an estimated 1,197,704 violent crimes.
Murder and non-negligent manslaughter increased 10.8 percent when compared with
estimates from 2014.

Nationwide, there were an estimated 7,993,631 property
crimes. The estimated numbers for two of the three property crimes show
declines when compared with the previous year’s estimates. Burglaries dropped
7.8 percent, and larceny-thefts declined 1.8 percent, but motor vehicle thefts
rose 3.1 percent.

The FBI estimated that law enforcement agencies nationwide
made 10.8 million arrests, excluding traffic violations, in 2015.

The arrest rate for violent crime was 157.2 per 100,000
inhabitants, and the arrest rate for property crime was 458.9 per 100,000
inhabitants.

By violent crime offense, the arrest rate for murder and
non-negligent manslaughter was 3.5 per 100,000 inhabitants; rape (aggregate
total of revised and legacy), 7.1; robbery, 29.7; and aggravated assault, 117.0
per 100,000 inhabitants.

By property crime offense, the arrest rate for burglary was
67.5 per 100,000 inhabitants; larceny-theft, 364.5; and motor vehicle theft,
24.2. The arrest rate for arson was 2.8 per 100,000 inhabitants.

In 2015, there were 13,160 law enforcement agencies that
reported their staffing levels to the FBI. These agencies reported that, as of
October 31, 2015, they collectively employed 635,781 sworn officers and 277,380
civilians, a rate of 3.3 employees per 1,000 inhabitants.

Caution Against Ranking

Each year when Crime in the United States is published, some
entities use the figures to compile rankings of cities and counties. These
rough rankings provide no insight into the numerous variables that mold crime
in a particular town, city, county, state, tribal area, or region.
Consequently, they lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often
create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their
residents. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis
of the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement
jurisdiction. The data user is, therefore, cautioned against comparing
statistical data of individual reporting units from cities, metropolitan areas,
states, or colleges or universities solely on the basis of their population
coverage or student enrollment.

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PaulDavisOnCrime@aol.com

Paul Davis is a writer who covers crime. He has written extensively about organized crime, street crime, sex crime, cyber crime, drug crime, white collar crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. He is an online columnist and contributing editor to The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International and a regular contributor to the Washington Times. His work has also appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and other print and online publications. Paul Davis has been a student of crime since he was a 12-year-old aspiring writer growing up in South Philadelphia. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy when he was 17 in 1970 and served on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War. He also served two years on the Navy harbor tugboat USS Saugus at the U.S. nuclear submarine base at Holy Loch, Scotland. He went on to do security work as a Defense Department civilian employee and then became a freelance writer. You can read Paul Davis' Crime Beat columns, crime fiction and magazine and newspaper pieces on this website. You can also read his full bio by clicking on the above photo.